


Never Let You Go

by TheZ1337



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bed Sex, Blow Jobs, Boys in Chains, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, But He Totally Wants The D, Consensual Non-Consent, Couch Sex, Cruelty, Emperor Kylo Ren, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Kind of Canon Compliant, M/M, Major Character Death Is Brendol But He Was A Dick Anyways, Mentioned Brendol Hux, Ripped Clothing, Rough Oral Sex, Slave Armitage Hux, Swooshy Capes, Technically He Can't Give Consent If He's A Purchased Slave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-05-19 20:44:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19363852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheZ1337/pseuds/TheZ1337
Summary: Emperor Benjamin Solo has no time for things such as intimacy. But upon his advisors continued efforts to provide him with a bedmate, Ben finds an unlikely yet incredibly willing slave named Armitage  whose able to provide him with just the kind of comfort he needs.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a [tumblr](https://thez1337.tumblr.com/), feel free to stop by and say hi or drop me a drabble

The clicking heels of gundark leather boots over stone floor was muted by the door until it slid open. From the hallway, Emperor Benjamin Solo, known as Ben to his friends if he had any, entered his private chambers, both unamused and a bit obstinate.

The front room had a high vaulted ceiling with an elegant pattern painted on the stones. Most of the furniture was a soft cream color with gold thread inlaid, and a large area rug was laid out under all of it in the center of the room.

Next to the claw footed couch knelt a boy, barely old enough to be a man, Ben mused in disgust. He'd be easy to dispose of, just like all the others.

Unsure of why his adviser Mitaka kept sending Ben young men to please him, Ben angrily yanked off his gloves and tossed them on to the table near the door. A maid would pick them up in the morning and put them in their right spot.

Then he walked around the couch to the boy who knelt with soft orange hair, and barely a slip of fabric to cover his decency. Ben almost wanted to kick him just for his audacity to be here. But he had to give the boy a chance, because if he didn't, Mitaka would send another one sooner rather than later. Ben didn't need any "stress relief," or whatever term Mitaka wanted to use. What he needed was to finally succeed in the various military endeavors he was embarking on, because he felt like his attempts to rule this kingdom failed more often than not.

"So you're the new whore my adviser has sent. I assume you know what's expected of you?" Ben asked as he unclasped his belt. He glanced up at the chrono on the wall above the oversized desk. He'd give this guy five minutes, no more, to show off whatever minimal talents he possessed.

"Yes, your highness," he said with a demure voice. Ben smirked, and the thought that he could slap this slave right across the face was tantalizing. He was insolent, somehow, though Ben hadn't figured that part out yet.

He was the Emperor though, so he didn't need a reason to slap somebody like a lowly slave sent to keep his cock wet and warm. So he finished unclasping his belt, and unbuttoned the front of his pants. Then he spread the fabric to reveal a pair of tight, off white boxers that were more fit for exercising in than wearing as underwear.

"Well, go ahead then. You have five minutes to prove why I shouldn't throw you in the dungeon." The implication was clear; he'd please the Emperor better than any others who'd tried before him, or be locked up in the dungeon where he'd die of starvation if the cold didn't get him first.

His reaction was startling to Ben though, as Armitage leaned forward and actually  _sighed_  against the Emperors crotch. He pressed his face to it for a moment before he inhaled deep, and then he reached up to hook delicate fingers under the elastic of the front.

Armitage pulled them down pointedly, until Ben's soft length was revealed. Then he did it again, lips pressed in to the tight curls around Ben's shaft as his fingers twined themselves in his short black curls.

The slave sighed again and his body seemed to slump towards Ben as he scooted forward slightly, nearly under Ben now. When he reached down to cup Ben's balls, Ben spread his feet a bit wider. He was pleasantly surprised because it appeared that this slave might actually know what he was doing, especially when Armitage began to kiss up his belly.

Armitage pulled away from the curls to kiss up the softer swath of hair that led to Ben's belly button and sat up a bit straighter as he massaged Ben's crown jewels gently with one hand. But his loitering presence was short lived, because Ben glanced at the chrono and saw that a minute had already passed.

"Four minutes," he said, and the slave immediately switched tactics. With no less desire or earnestness than before, he gently tongued Ben's tip, and licked it a few times. Then he cupped his lips around it, and began to swirl his tongue around in a clockwise motion.

Ben watched as the slaves eyelids fluttered shut; was he actually enjoying this? Nobody had ever seemed to like it so much, not least of all the slaves which he always threatened with imprisonment. Being in danger of getting locked up and left for dead usually spurred them on to quicken their pace, but this slave seemed unconcerned.

Instead, he squeezed Ben's balls slightly tighter as he slipped his lips further down on Ben's length. Ben quieted himself as the slave sucked and squeezed, refusing to give him the satisfaction of actually hearing the Emperor  _moan_. Then Ben  glanced at the chrono again, and saw that the slave was running out of time. "Three minutes."

The slave eyes opened, and in a surprising move, he pulled his mouth off of Ben completely. He kissed down the length of his shaft, and suckled at his base while his hand that had previously been teasing his balls went to wrap around him.

Ben smirked, because this slave was definitely going to the dungeons after this. "Is that all you can do? Pathetic," he sneered, but the slave kept up with this strategy. He sucked what might have been a love bruise in to the base of Ben's cock if Ben would give him enough time, but the Emperor wouldn't do that. He watched the time as it ticked away, the slaves fingers nimble and wet over him, though not enough to get him off. Ben wasn't aroused enough for that.

"Two minutes, whore," he said. At that, the slave gave up on marking him with a kiss, and began to bob his head again as he took in a certain length from Ben. Ben was easily able to hold himself up, the arousal a dull pulsing but only because he was always so susceptible to an act like this.

In a sudden move, he felt the slaves hand reach up and place a hand on his hip. He watched as the boy sucked him in and out, and was just about to announce the one minute mark when Armitage abruptly pulled Ben forward.

The Emperor, surprised by the pull, stumbled forward a foot, and his cock dipped all the way down the slaves throat. Armitage immediately tightened his throat, while he hooked a finger in the belt loop of Ben's pants to keep him there. Ben nearly fell over forward, and had to land one hand on the slave's shoulder to keep himself up while the other cupped the side of his neck. Realizing where his hand was, Ben moved to cup the back of Armitage's head to keep him there.

To Ben's surprise, and which evoked a tremble from Ben that no other slave had been able to do, Armitage began to hum quietly. His throat vibrated and stimulated Ben until he realized his knees were about to buckle.

So Ben stepped back, and shoved the slaves face away with his hand, which he inadvertently smeared with Armitage's saliva and his own precum. He gasped and realized that his tip was purpling more than it had in ages.

"How dare you," he spat at Armitage, who'd managed to land on his hands instead of falling completely to the ground. However, he looked just as stunned at Ben's reaction as the Emperor was of him.

"Come here," Ben growled, intent on punishing this slave. But he'd also forgotten to check the time on the chrono above the desk, since that little exercise seemed superfluous now. The Emperor grabbed Armitage by the hair on the back of his head and dragged him across the floor. Armitage stumbled and reached up to wrap a hand around Ben's wrist. His knees scraped across the carpet, since he was not quite able to crawl but not able to stand up either.

The Emperor sat with the swish of his red lined black cape, right on to a plush seat, and immediately pulled Armitage's face in to his groin.

"Continue," he commanded, and without missing a beat or seeming like he'd forgotten just how close he'd come to being thrown out of the Emperors chambers only seconds later, Armitage once again took Ben in to his mouth.

To Ben's surprise, the slave continued just where he'd left off, as if nothing had transpired between them. He buried his nose all the way down in to Ben's dark curls, and splayed his hands out on the top of both of Ben's thighs. Instead of vibrating now though, Armitage tightened and loosened his throat unpredictably, which made Ben groan as he put a hand on each of the armrests.

Ben wanted to say something degrading to the slave at his feet, but found himself at a loss for words because when he finally relaxed, Ben exploded in warmth and sensation.

He reached up and began to unbutton the front of his vest, and opened it quickly. Then he brushed his hair back and set it off of its immaculate position, as he let the slave finish. Ben barely had the presence of mind to remember when exactly this had all started, but it seemed so quick now.

Suddenly Ben groaned again and his hands balled up in to fists. He tried not to make a noise, since this simple slave didn't deserve that just yet. But it was hard not to when the man on his knees in front of Ben wouldn't stop bobbing his head and salivating all over Ben's ruddy tip.

Finally, the balloon in Ben's stomach was full to the brim with sensation. When he came, the slave made a quiet gagging noise as he was caught by surprise. It gave Ben some satisfaction that he hadn't given the slave any warning, but then he also felt a bit of remorse for not doing so. This slave, wherever he'd come from, was an expert at this particular act, and Ben couldn't believe he'd been so put off at first.

Armitage swallowed down every drop, gulping once before he sucked his cheeks in, and began to clean up the Emperor. He licked and swallowed as he went, eyes red from tears and chin dripping with dribble and cum.

When he finally pulled off the emperor, Armitage fell to the ground before he could catch a glimpse of the Emperors ruined cock. He backed up, before he laid his hands out palm face up, with his forehead to the ground as he panted and sniffled.

"Thank you your highness, thank you so much," he said with a quivering voice. Ben had known devotees before, but something about this slave seemed much more raw and genuine. His hand trembled as he bowed, and Ben found himself slightly dizzy from the speed at which the slave had sucked him off. But as he came down from that high, he observed the slave a bit curiously. He buttoned himself up a bit too soon, and figured he'd just have to deal with the discomfort.

The front of Ben's vest remained unbuttoned, and his pants weren't secured by a belt as he used the toe of his boot to tilt the slaves face up. He looked like a gorgeous mess, with reddened eyes and streaks of tears down his flushed cheeks. His lips were red too, and wet enough that Ben could almost see the dribble on them.

So he leaned forward, and smeared a thumb around Armitage's mouth. The slave immediately opened his lips and Ben stuck a thumb in, feeling the structure of the slaves tongue. To his surprise, and despite what he'd just done, the slave closed his lips around Ben's thumb and sucked gratefully. His eyelids fluttered shut, and Ben wondered what he would find under the slaves sliver of fabric if he looked.

But the slave, for his part, seemed like he was in pure ecstacy. His eyelids twitched and he nearly moaned on to Ben's thumb. That was when Ben took his thumb out of the slaves mouth, but instead cupped his chin as he leaned forward further.

"You really enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the slave whispered through a voice that was slightly hoarse from how his throat had just been used. But his eyes were sincere as they searched back and forth between Ben's. He was absolutely  _begging_  for praise, and it gave Ben some satisfaction to have such a devoted follower who was also very talented.

"You might just do well here, after all," Ben said, before he stood up to go to the refresher. He reflected that it was a rare occasion when he didn't send the slave that was assigned to serve him off to the dungeons after their first liaison.


	2. Chapter 2

As it turned out, the slave whose name he learned was Armitage, was quite talented. In fact, he was most likely professionally trained, but that meant Mitaka hadn't paid full price for him because the amount of credits the kingdom had were dwindling. Despite the fact that the castle was on a fairly remote piece of land, he still had Armitage's wrist affixed with a tracking bracelet in case he tried to run.

It was more than once that he'd caught Armitage watching him, staring almost, only to glance away at the last second. Ben was used to being watched, but not quite used to being so revered by someone in such a low station.

Things were bad for the kingdom, though there was some good news on the horizon. His troops had squashed a rebellion on the far reaches of his territory. They'd even managed to capture one of the more high ranking rebels. It was good news, but there was still more to go.

He had a meeting with an ally on the other side of the planet with plans to re-establish a treaty of ongoing solidarity. While going out of his territory right now was not optimal, Emperor Benjamin Solo had to do it in order to acquire more funds for what felt like a never ending war. With him, he brought his knew personal slave as well as his adviser Mitaka, and a few royals from court. Armitage, as it turned out, was just as alert in public as he was in private.

Both when they boarded and disembarked from the transport ship, Armitage was in the right position before being told where to go. He bowed without being motioned to, and lingered only the appropriate amount before he followed the entourage.

While Ben was whisked off by the His Holiness, Armitage was taken away to be prepared for Ben. Ben wasn't sure what that meant in this kingdom, but he was eager to see how they prepared his new slave. After all, Ben had only had him a few days. They hadn't even had a chance to talk, really. Not that Armitage seemed like the talking type, but Ben would like to get to know him at least on some level.

* * *

Several hours later, Ben retired to his quarters. He was shown to them by a guard who would be posted outside all night for his protection. Upon entering his chambers, Ben was pleasantly surprised that it was similar in decor as his own. They were also quite as elegantly decorated, and he sighed with satisfaction as he began to remove his accoutrements.

A servant would come in the morning he assumed, so he left his boots near a chair in the front room. Then he unclasped his cape and draped it over one of the plush chairs, before he moved to make himself a drink. He was about to pour himself a drink from the crystal decanter on the table near the door when he heard what sounded like the rattling of chains in the bedchamber.

Curiosity piqued, he put the decanter down without pouring himself a glass of the amber colored liquid. Ben walked around the open archway in to the bedchamber, to see his slave wonderfully and beautifully splayed out on the bed.

Each ankle and wrist was chained to a corner of the lush bed by a gold chain, and he was given just enough slack that he could almost prop himself up on one elbow.

Armitage wriggled slightly, like he was trying to sit up but couldn't manage it. Between his legs, Ben spotted a golden cock ring that was fit snugly around his balls, and which kept his length at attention and tinged a faint pink color. Ben smiled appreciatively at how nicely his hosts had rigged Armitage up, but he also sympathized for the slave who looked both eager to see him, but also a bit uncertain.

Armitage stopped struggling though as he laid back on the bed and watched the Emperor's approach. Ben climbed on to the bed in between Armitage's legs, and tapped the inside of each knee to make him spread them wider. Ben perched over him, and made sure not to touch his length with even a brush of his leg. Then he placed a hands on the bed, on either side of Armitage's face, and smirked down at him.

"Did they do this to you, or did you request it?"

"They made the decision, Your Highness." His voice was just as soft as Ben had ever heard it, and he watched as the slave again tried to decide which eye to look at. Perhaps he did it to pick up on any minute signal as to what the Emperor was thinking, though Ben gave nothing away. He was practiced at hiding his true intentions, though he was sure Armitage knew his intentions for tonight.

"And does it make you uncomfortable?" he tried to jab, to get under this slaves skin and see what made him tick.

"Yes," he answered truthfully.

"Why is that?"

"I'd rather be free of these chains, Your Highness. Like this, I'm..." he paused, and looked up at where he twisted his wrists in their bindings. "...unable to get in to a comfortable position."

"That's the point of them though, isn't it whore?" He used the derogatory term, but it didn't seem to phase Armitage any more than it had during their previous liaison.

"Not like that, your highness. A comfortable position," he repeated the phrase, but this time he lifted his hips off the bed, and Ben could feel his cock brush against his own inner thigh. "There's only one position I can be in, and it would be uncomfortable for us both."

Ben's heart skipped a beat as he felt his face flush, and he was once again amazed by this slave. For how fearful he looked, and the way he'd led Ben with his words, Ben realized that getting to this conclusion was what Armitage had been trying to do all along.

So Ben backed off and left a quiet huff in his wake as he got off the bed. "You're quite lucky with the words you use, do you know that?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I don't mean to be smart," he said genuinely.

"I'm think you do," Ben countered, though he picked up the key from the bureau that had been left for him. Then he methodically went around to unlock the cuffs from Armitage's appendages.

When he was finally free, Armitage sat up, and followed Ben across the bed as Ben went back to the bureau. Armitage sat on his hands and knees as Ben put the key down, and began to pull off his shirt.

Pants and undergarments followed quickly, and when Ben turned back around, Armitage looked eager, flushed even as he eyed the Emperor. Ben walked back to the bed, though he made sure to avoid Armitage as he got on at the top of it and tossed some of the lush pillows off since there were far too many. "Come here," he motioned as he sat with his legs slightly bent, and Armitage immediately crawled over.

He crawled right in to Ben's lap, and straddled him as they came close. The attraction was magnetic as bare chests pressed together, which was followed shortly by soft lips. Armitage inhaled deep as their lips met, and Ben gently wrapped his arms around Armitage's slight waist. It felt clear to him now that this was exactly how Ben should have felt all those other times with slaves. He wanted to be here with a lovely man seated in his lap, whose arms slowly draped around his shoulders, and whose mouth tasted like honey.

Armitage moaned quietly in to his mouth as he exhaled, and Ben smiled in to their kiss at his reaction. "Are you really so pleased to see your ruler?"

"Yes," he breathed, and thrust his hips up slowly so Ben could feel his length, and the wetness from his tip as it grazed against his bare stomach.

"I hope you're not thinking that I'll let you do anything with that tonight," he said, asserting his dominance over Armitage.

"Only with your permission," Armitage said, insinuating at what point he'd be able to relieve himself of what must have been a horrible pain by now.

"Get up, and roll over," Ben commanded, done with what for him, amounted to foreplay.

Armitage eagerly rolled over, head at the end of the bed and he spread his knees wide to give Ben a good view of his clean, soft hole. Ben inhaled sharply at the sight, but tried to steel himself to not get too excited at the prospect that the body presented before him was all his for the taking.

He grabbed the jar on the nightstand that he assumed had been left specifically for this purpose, and uncapped it. He swiped a generous amount of a slightly thick, clear liquid up with his fingers, before he set the jar down and crawled over to Armitage. Then he stroked two fingers down over Armitage's hole and watched as it twitched tighter, though in response Armitage sighed as his stomach sagged towards the bed.

Ben played gently, warming the area to prepare his slave. He knew he could take Armitage any time he wanted, but something about this slave dimmed his cruelty, and made his fingers linger longer than they otherwise would have with somebody else. Finally, when he pushed a finger in, Armitage reached up to the end of the bed, and gripped the comforter firmly, while his other hand bundled up near his chin.

"Painful?" Ben questioned as he pushed his finger in and out, and swiped down with each intrusion.

"No, Your Highness."

"Are you lying to me?"

"I would never lie to you," he whispered, and let out a quiet moan as his thighs twitched slightly. It was obvious now that the complete opposite was true, and that Ben had misread his movements. So he added a second finger, and Armitage gasped as he toyed.

Armitage was warm and wanting, and Ben wanted to fill his gaping mouth as he sighed out a moan with every breath. Finally, Ben slowly revealed his fingers as he pulled them out, and used the lingering oil on himself. He grabbed a bit more, all while Armitage stilled and remained exactly where Ben had positioned him.

Finally, wet and slightly dripping from the anticipation, the Emperor stroked up and down Armitage's cleft with the flat underside of his cock. Instinctively Armitage reached back and grasped his cheeks to spread them wider for Ben. Mark him impressed by Armitage's keen sensibility, Ben dolled out the praise. "Very good."

"Thank you, Your Highness," he responded, always adding in the title which only served to stroke Ben's ego.

When he pressed in, Ben kept one hand on Armitage's lower back, while the other stayed around his base to make sure his aim was true. To Ben's surprise however, Armitage took him quite easily. And it was only a stroke or two, and halfway down, before Armitage started to shake. He moaned quietly and Ben closed his eyes, savoring that sound. For how quiet Armitage had been in their normal affairs of life, he was quiet breathy in a situation like this. Ben smirked to himself, and was glad to unravel some of the secrets of the newest addition to his household.

Ben sighed as he stroked the flat of his palm up Armitage's back and then down, and his hips jerked forward and back slowly. Armitage released his cheeks, and went back to gripping the comforter like he'd been previously. But his thighs burned hot like the sun against Ben's as he punctured deep, and soon it was evident that Armitage was trying to say something.

He lifted his head, like he was going to speak, and Ben could see it as he turned his head ever so slightly that his mouth was open to form words. In response, Ben only moved deeper, and he wondered just how unwound Armitage would become. Abruptly though, and just as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of Ben's temple, Armitage jerked forward, nearly off the bed and mostly off of his cock.

"Highness!" he cried out, and Ben pulled the rest of the way out. Surprised on the one hand because so far, his slave hadn't gone against anything he'd said. But also not surprised on the other, because he liked to think that he was just that good in the sheets.

"May we please..." Armitage gasped while his shoulders rose and fell with each breath, and he slowly propped himself up. "May we please change positions, Your Highness?"

Ben contemplated this question; after all, nobody questioned his authority. His word was law, and if he wanted Armitage bent over on all fours, he'd be damn sure to put him there. But Ben also felt a bit more lenient in his aroused state, so he nodded. "Granted."

"Thank you." Armitage sighed, and slowly the tension in his shoulders seemed to lessen, though the tension in his burnished red cock did not. He turned slowly, and Ben didn't know how he could still look so pristine and calm after his outcry, and with the state of his leaking length.

"Lay back," he said, and Ben felt a twinge of anger at being given a command. "Please?" Armitage added, sweetening his request a bit. If it had been anybody else, Ben would have thrown them out of his chambers. But he had no reason to be suspicious of this slave's command, so he acquiesced.

"Alright," he agreed and sat back, before he laid down on the bed completely. He didn't crawl quite up to the pillows, so he laid out flat without support.

Then Armitage crawled on top of him, and slowly he began to seat himself on Ben. Ben watched as Armitage blushed, and his puffy pink lips parted slightly in a quiet moan as he repositioned himself. His eyelids fluttered slightly and half closed as he slipped down further onto Ben. Ben was surprised because once seated, Armitage didn't need the use of his hands to steady himself as he bounded up and down. He watched as Armitage began to ride him, slowly at first, then gyrating his hips around in circles.

It was absolutely captivating to watch the way Armitage moved. His hips circling over Ben's groin without a spare glance down at his own cock. He looked like he was thoroughly enjoying riding the Emperor, and Ben couldn't help but run the flat of his palm up Armitage's chest. Armitage smiled down at him, his hips swaying back and forth now before Ben let his hand drift a little lower.

He gently encompassed Armitage's cock, but it was brief as Armitage gasped and pitched forward, and a hand landed flat on the middle of Ben's chest, while the other had snatched his wrist. He shook his head slowly in a nonverbal queue that told Ben he was far too close to the edge for that. Ben was amazed at Armitage as he continued to move and clench around him, easily ignoring his own need as he brought Ben's hand to his mouth instead. Whether the oil tasted bad or not, Armitage didn't seem to mind, but the next thing Ben knew, Armitage was sucking two of Ben's finger in to his mouth.

Ben couldn't help the groan as his hips twitched upward, before he finally sat up. He wanted nothing more than the capture Armitage in his arms, suddenly awash in emotion that was pulled out of him much in the same way Armitage was building up the tightness in Ben's gut. He wrapped both arms tightly around Armitage's waist and replaced the fingers that had been in his mouth with his own tongue. How could Armitage still taste like that, the lingering warmth of honey still on his tongue? He must have eaten spoonfuls before this, and Ben tasted every bit that he could.

He was swept up in Armitage as he started to thrust up, and his heels dug in to the bed at the effort. He didn't have to, of course. He could just lay there and let Armitage pull an orgasm from his aching gut. But he wanted to participate, he wanted to feel Armitage when he came, and to hear his needy moans as he did so. Ben had no intention of pulling out of the heady kiss, another bead of sweat rolling down his temple but then Armitage cupped his face to wipe it away, and muttered in to his mouth.

"You give me so many gifts," he punctuated each word with a kiss, and Ben was amazed at how easy it was to bestow an honor on to his slave. He'd even seemed honored when he'd choked on Ben's cock previously, and Ben felt his gut bubbling up at the notion.

He rolled them over, which forced  Armitage on to his back and his ankles over Ben's shoulders. He pressed a breathy kiss in to Armitage's needy mouth, and reached down to encompass his cock again as he pressed down several thrusts in rapid succession right in to Armitage's depths.

"Show me your devotion," he muttered, eyebrow pinching as pleasure coarsed through his veins. "Come for me," he commanded, before he collapsed on Armitage in a nonstop motion of rapid thrusts.

A moan was ripped from Armitage's throat as he clung to Ben, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders, like he was afraid he might fall away. He moaned right below Ben's ear as he clenched around Ben's cock, and Ben choked on the overwhelming fire that embroiled him. He felt Armitage grow wet and his stomach grow sticky, despite how he still clenched tight around Ben. How long they'd been at it, he didn't know but it couldn't be very long. But this was the most aroused he'd been in a long time, and finally when he gasped, buried to the hilt, Armitage loosened his grip on Ben's shoulders.

Ben filled his slave, and remained there as his balls twitched tight upon his release. Then Ben groaned and pulled away slightly, his thighs unsticking from Armitage as he gathered his faculties. That was when he felt Armitage unclench, and Ben trembled at the immense tightness he'd just experienced. He let Armitage's legs down one at a time, before he slowly pulled out with a shaky hand on his base. When he gloriously collapsed in exhaustion, it was right next to Armitage, who was the first slave to successfully managed to bed the Emperor in quite a while.

Next to him, Armitage continued to whine, and it sounded like he was in pain which drew Ben's weakened gaze. Armitage was in fact still wriggling, his back arching off the bed, like he was still spasming. He whimpered, and Ben watched as a hand hovered down near his gloriously spent cock.

"Please may I take it off?" he whined, eyes shut tight, and it was clear what was happening.

"Yes, of course." Before he even finished the sentence, Armitage had reached down and scrambled to take the gold cock ring off. He let out an exuberant sigh the second it was off and dropped it on the bed, his limbs finally collapsing and body relaxing as the tension was released. A nice sheen of moisture slicked his stomach, which told Ben he'd gotten off properly, and Ben felt almost proud.

He watched with one eye as Armitage panted, so dainty look still, without hardly a hair out of place. But his pristine facade was broken by the sweat that wet the hair above his forehead. Ben wanted to reach over and brush back some of the beads of sweat from his porcelain skin. But that movement was too unbecoming of him, so he let it go, and let the cool of the room calm his rapidly beating chest as his slave fell silent beside him.


	3. Chapter 3

Another party meant a long night of schmoozing, dancing, and drinking. Much to Ben's surprise, though he knew it shouldn't be, his slave was quite adept at all three things. He nursed the same drink all night, and was grateful to take the Emperor's hand the one time they danced together. 

Armitage had been dressed, partially at the Emperors request, in a backless, floor length gown that matched the sea foam green of his eyes. He was masterful at twirling in it, and easily kept control of the thin material despite the fact that it had a bit of a train. Armitage was, as per usual, quiet and always on Ben's periphery as the Emperor made his way around the ballroom.

At some heinous hour when most people were already asleep, Ben finally returned to his chambers. Armitage had been escorted back some time earlier, so he wasn't sure how he'd find the slave who was slowly growing on him. But Ben was slightly surprised when he got back to his chambers, and the door that led from the front chamber to a small balcony was half open.

With some alarm, Ben crossed the room towards it in long, rapid steps. But as he got there, he saw that Armitage stood contemplatively nearby, with his face tilted up towards the stars.

"There you are," Ben said quietly and with a bit of relief, as he decided to join him.

Armitage looked back at hearing Ben's approach, and his eyes seemed to clear from whatever far away space he'd zoned out in. "Your highness," he greeted, and did a modest curtsey.

"Enjoying the stars?" Ben asked as he glanced at the expanse of twinkling lights.

"Oh yes, very much so," Armitage responded and naturally gravitated to Ben's side.

"And tonight? I hope you were able to have some fun, since I know these events can be quite boring," he said.

"I had a lot of fun your highness, and the little dress you've given me is wonderful!" His enthusiasm seemed genuine, and Ben couldn't help it as he turned a smile in the slaves direction.

"I'm glad you approve, because it looks very becoming on you," he dolled out, and Ben could see the way Armitage's eyes glinted at the compliment as he basked in the attention.

"Everything was so grand, and everybody was so beautiful," he said, and looked authentic in his words.

"It was a wonderful evening, wasn't it," Ben agreed. "And you were quite a good dance partner, as well."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Armitage said, and curtsied again. He was always unfailingly courteous, and for that, Ben wanted to continuously praise him. Instead, he stepped back inside from the balcony to take off his cape, and left Armitage to contemplate coming inside.

After a minute or two where Ben took off his cape and boots, he poured them each a night cap and went back to the balcony. Again Armitage was caught gazing up at the stars, but this time he was more attuned to the fact that he wasn't alone. So when Ben handed him a small crystal glass, he was aware that it was handed to him and he took it graciously.

"Thank you, Your Highness," he said, and lifted the glass to inhale its contents.

"You're very welcome," Ben said, and took a sip. Armitage followed suit, and he hummed in agreement, though Ben wondered if that was a genuine reaction. Corellian Lum wasn't exactly the most tasty drink in the galaxy.

"And you, your highness? Did you get an appointment with the High Chancellor?"

"You are quite an observant little thing, aren't you," Ben teased, and watched as Armitage's face lit up with a small smile. "I did in fact get an appointment with the High Chancellor. He'll be coming by in two days time to discuss a new treaty, and I expect it to go well."

"Excellent."

"Yes, quite," Ben agreed, and took another sip of his drink. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Armitage put the crystal glass on the railing, which was a precarious place to put such an item. But then he squeezed himself between the balcony railing and Ben, and Ben welcomed the intrusion as he leaned down to kiss Armitage.

Armitage tasted like the drink they'd just imbibed, though also a bit like mint from washing up after he'd returned to the Emperor's chambers. Ben hummed in to their kiss and put his glass down on the railing too, against his own better judgment. He wrapped one arm around Armitage and kissed him diligently, as the slave reached up to gently cart fingers through Ben's hair.

Ben pressed back on Armitage a bit, to pin him against the railing in a gentle, but assertive motion of domination. But then Armitage broke the kiss, and he always looked so uncertain when he did, though he spoke like he wanted to make up for something. "Your Highness, I'd like to help you relax."

"Oh?" Ben asked, and brushed his nose against Armitage's briefly. "Alright," he said, before he stepped back.

Much to his surprise, Armitage pushed Ben back about a further step, before he slid like liquid gold to his knees, and began to unbutton the front of Ben's trousers.

"Oh," Ben said in realization of what Armitage was about to do, and Ben was at a loss for what to say. So instead, he picked up his drink from the railing and took a rather large sip of it, and the burn went right to his cock.

Against him Armitage sighed and kissed softly against his skin as he teased Ben's tip. In a rare moment of candid truth, where he felt like there wasn't anything beneath what Armitage said out loud, he whispered in to Ben's warmth. "I love how you smell, highness."

Ben hummed in acknowledgment, but let Armitage continue to tease him up to attention. On the one hand, Ben knew that there might be others that glanced up at the balcony and saw them. But on the other, nobody could tell him this was indecent. He was the Emperor anyways, so nobody could tell him what not to do.

Not only had he secured a treaty negotiation tonight, but he'd received news that a large shipment of food going to a rebellion was intercepted. Things seemed to be falling in to place ever since this slave had arrived at his chambers. That fact was not lost on Mitaka who'd ever so gently hinted at it, though Ben had given him a warning not to suggest such things.

But now, with Armitage's diligently touches, Ben felt like he could rule the galaxy, or at least the world where he ruled the throne. He put one hand on his hip and sighed in to the night, as Armitage reached up to grab either side of Ben's pants, like an anchor while he got to work.

Then Armitage licked a long line up the underside of Ben's cock, and Ben hummed at the move. "You know just how I like it," he said, and Armitage hummed right back at him, except his lips were ever so slightly placed around the head of Ben's cock. Taking his free hand from his waist, Ben stroked his bare fingers over the back of Armitage's head, which gave him a silent instruction.

So he swallowed up more of Ben and a hand went to play in his tight curls as his head began to bob. Somewhere out in the gardens below, Ben thought he heard a bird singing a midnight song.

It wasn't long before Ben couldn't hold himself up for much longer, as his knees weakened from the slave that drooled on him. He'd already forgotten how good Armitage was at this, but now Ben was overworked and overwhelmed with how easily his slave got him excited.

So Ben stepped back, far enough away that Armitage had to chase slightly, though he only ended up with both hands on his knees as he caught himself.

"Come here," Ben commanded, and grabbed Armitage around his upper arm. Armitage stumbled to his feet as Ben dragged him in to the front room, both drinks discarded on the railing.

"You're far too good at that sometimes," he said as he pushed Armitage down onto his back on the couch. Then he laid down over him, which caused Armitage to squeal in excitement. Ben set all his weight in to Armitage and Armitage threw his arms around Ben's shoulders, kissing him passionately enough that Ben realized he'd been holding back until now.

"Do you want to take me in my pretty little dress, highness?" he cooed through sighing lips.

Ben hummed as he thought about it, and that definitely sounded like a good idea. "I'm definitely going to fuck you in your  _pretty little dress._ " He said the last bit mockingly, though it only made Armitage tangle their legs together as he opened up for the Emperor.

Despite the fact that the fabric was so thin, there were many layers of it and Ben pulled up row after row of material to get to Armitage's inner core. In a moment of quiet outrage, he ripped the rest of the fabric, and the tear made Armitage pull himself from their kiss.

He jerked his head to the side with a look of panic on his face, so Ben froze, wondering what he'd just done. "Too much?" he asked, in all sincerity.

For a second Armitage seemed to realize that his reaction was unwarranted, so he laid back down and gulped once, before he turned to look back at Ben. Ben could swear he saw Armitage's jaw twitch at whatever the noise of torn fabric meant to him.

"No, Your Highness. I just..." he said as he smoothed his hands over the dress that still partially covered him. "I liked this dress."

Ben chuckled quietly and leaned down to sooth Armitage with more kisses. He muttered through them, "I can buy you many more pretty dresses."

"I'd like that," Armitage muttered, and slowly relaxed back in to the couch, and their previous pace. But as soon as Armitage was relaxed again, Ben pulled away, and again Armitage chased him forward.

"Get up on to your knees," Ben said, and helped position Armitage. He put Armitage's hands on the back of the couch, with his knees on the cushion. Confused, Armitage did as he was told and let himself be positioned like a doll, before Ben grabbed him by the hips and walked his knees back right to the edge of the cushion. Then Ben swept all the fabric up from around Armitage, and draped it up over the plane of his back.

Ben trailed a hand down over Armitage's rump, and instinctively Armitage arched his back to give Ben easier access to what he so obviously wanted. "Absolutely gorgeous," he said, though didn't linger. After a gentle stroke over his warm skin, Ben retreated to the bedroom to undress and grab the jar of oil he kept next to the bed.

When he turned back, he saw Armitage crouched low over the top of the couch as his fingers grasped it and he looked eagerly on. Ben couldn't help but smirk as he sauntered back wearing only his dress pants.

"Admiring?"

"I'm always admiring you, highness," Armitage cooed, and Ben went back to him on the couch. He uncapped the jar and dipped his fingers in, the oil more viscous than the last jar they'd used while on his diplomatic trip. He stroked his fingers over Armitage's cleft, and he shuddered at the thought of his tightness. It'd been too long, maybe forever in fact, since Ben had felt this attracted to somebody.

He reached forward and twisted his fingers in the back of Armitage's perfectly styled hair, before he dragged him up in to a better posture. Armitage gasped in response, though sat up more with his arm straight, his hands still down on the couch.

"Very good," Ben said, before he couldn't help himself. He slipped a thumb in to Armitage's depths, and leaned forward to press a kiss to Armitage's bare upper back. Armitage made no notion as to whether it hurt or not, and instead tilted his head to the side like he was going to look back, while his breaths were uncommonly steady.

Ben realized he was bursting out of his pants, ready to break the buttons on them if he didn't release himself soon. But he tried to will himself to slow down, so he pulled his thumb out and instead stood up so he could more easily work his fingers in to Armitage.

He used his other hand to undo the buttons on his pants, though didn't shed them completely, intent to ravage his slave while they were both half dressed. Armitage was soft and cooing as he worked in a finger, and Ben wanted the satisfaction of really being wholly with a person, and not just somebody trained to be underneath him.

After a while of slow teasing and prodding, Armitage's stance faltered. One of his elbows half bowed, and he began to press back towards Ben as his head dipped slightly from where Ben had positioned him. At that Ben surged forward, led dick first right up against Armitage.

His tip prodded and Armitage let his hips sway from side to side even after he'd spread his knees a bit wider, like he was trying to get Ben to puncture him. Ben realized his hands were shaking as he put fingers around his base, and used that to direct his motions while the other landed on Armitage's hip.

Armitage reached back and placed his hand on Ben's in a tender gesture, before Ben pressed in slowly. They moaned in unison, and Armitage's arm on the back of the couch seemed to weaken a bit as Ben slid in. He added more lube, after realizing there was a bit too much resistance, before he carried on.

Ben bowed down over Armitage, his lips again pressed against Armitage's bare back, but this time it felt more intimate. Armitage moaned in response and again turned his head to the side, and Ben listened as he began to push and pull in and out.

Armitage's hand stiffened, his fingers curling to dig half moon shaped impressions in to Ben's skin. Ben smirked, and jerked his hips forward which caused Armitage to cry out. "Such a cute little thing," he cooed, before he wrapped both arms around Armitage's torso. Armitage moaned as he was pulled completely off the couch, Ben's arms wrapped tightly around him.

He pierced Armitage faster as Armitage continued to hold on to Ben's arm. His other hand reached up and laced itself through Ben's thick locks of hair, which brought Ben's lips right to Armitage's neck.

He kissed there, not wanting to mar the slaves skin but part of him also wanted everybody in court the next day to know who he belong to. Armitage's fingers in his hair tightened as he kissed and fucked in to his slave, the night outside unfolding in it quiet way.

Finally Ben released Armitage, who gasped as he caught himself on the back of the couch. But he was once again moved from that position, and instead, Ben forced his face down in to the couch cushions. Then he let go, and repositioned himself. He panted with the effort it took to keep going, exhausted, but he couldn't help himself when his slave had so eagerly offered this.

Armitage grasped the pillows as he moaned, the green fabric of his dress nearly completely covering his top half as he was tossed down on to the couch. Unwillingly, Armitage's foot fell off the couch, and landed on the ground right in front of Ben's as he used it for an anchor. Ben pulled the fabric down, and let his crushing weight bear down on Armitage.

Then Ben pressed his nose in to the back of Armitage's neck and whispered, "I'm so close." Instinctively, Armitage reached down to palm at himself. His quiet gasp gave Ben enough of an inkling of just how close he was, and Ben grabbed on to the couch with one hand.

He laced their fingers together and pressed Armitage's hand down, his speed never decreasing as he chased them both towards the edge. Armitage whined as he tossed his head to the other side, and the way his body twitched let Ben know that this was it.

He came hard in to the slave, and slammed all the way in with little thought to his comfort. But at the same time, Armitage tightened around him, and his body twitched in its own orgasm while Ben filled him. So out blown was his mind that Ben barely remembered to thrust, to tease out his own orgasm as he listened to Armitage nearly crying out his name.

When Ben finally came up for air, his gut released and stance slacked, the slave below him also gasped for breath. His eyelids twitched though as his eyes rolled back, just as satisfied a Ben felt. Ben began to pull out slowly, and he was once again shaking as he encompassed his base with his own hand, and used it to guide himself out.

Even as he pulled out though, Armitage crooned and his body twitched with a hand trapped under Ben's. Ben smiled kindly down at the slave, whose back bore no marks of the kisses he'd pressed in to it.

* * *

The sun began to rise as they settled down to go to bed. Ben snuggled up close behind Armitage, and held him in a tight embrace before he let go so they could drift off to sleep. He'd noticed some peculiar things about Armitage in the short time they'd been together.

For one, Armitage never fell asleep before Ben. Ben could listen to his breathing all night, and it would always denote somebody who was wide awake. He supposed that Armitage must have some sort of training, since that type of obedience was the kind that had to be deeply engrained.

Secondly, there were things Armitage wouldn't say about himself. Things about his past, and the fact that he knew things any normal slave shouldn't. He was too intelligent for the average slave who was raised to toil in the soil until they were snatched up and sold to the Emperor. So Ben knew there was more that went on behind those pale green eyes.

"Where do you go?" he asked quietly, the sheets soft and cool around them. A servant would be coming in soon, though once she saw them still asleep, she'd most likely leave in a hurry.

"Hmm?" Armitage hummed, and Ben could hear the sleep in his voice. His body was uncommonly still, like he was more exhausted than he'd let on as they lay in bed.

"You get this look sometimes, like you're present but not quite there. And your eyes glaze over." He brushed his thumb gently over the metal band Armitage wore as his tracker. To somebody who didn't know what it was, it would look just like a piece of jewelry. But to Ben, it meant much more, especially since Armitage seemed so willing to share the same pillow.

"I'm always present, highness," he said, but the unnecessary title in a moment like this told Ben that he wasn't being truthful.

"I've executed men for less than that lie," he said as an aside, not a threat.

Armitage sighed quietly, and shifted a hand up under the pillow as he became a bit less stilled. "There are things I'd like to tell you, but not now. Not after... well. When heads are clearer."

"You know," Ben said, changing the subject slightly. "In moments like this, you can call me Ben. Or Benjamin, there's no need for titles."

Armitage tilted his head up slightly, like he was shocked by that confession. He started to say something, before he paused, and restarted and barely even whispered, "I would like that very much, Benjamin."

Ben smiled and moved his hand from Armitage's wrist to his waist, where he thumbed over his hip and he inquired curiously. "When will you tell me?"

"After we dine together, perhaps? Food calms my nerves." Ben's eyes opened briefly, and he was startled at the confession. So far, Armitage had said very little about his own personal preferences or nuances. Ben squeezed him once, before he let his eyes close again.

"I'll tell my adviser to set aside some time."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"You're welcome," he paused, having almost used Armitage's real name. But he decided that now was not the time. Now they needed sleep, and a calm piece of mind to do it.


	4. Chapter 4

Several evenings later, Ben and his new slave were asleep at a reasonable hour. The days had only gotten hotter, but with it, the Emperor's fortunes had turned around. Slowly the coffers were being filled, and a recent outbreak of plague had been treated almost immediately due to available resources.

Ben slept soundly, with the reassurance of a long but productive day in the morning, when he was awoken by a scuffle. At first it didn't register, halfway between sleep and wakefulness, before his eyes opened and he realized the that the noise was coming from the front room. Immediately he sat up, and he realized that Armitage wasn't in the bed next to him.

That was when Ben was up and out of the covers, and grabbed the blaster that was hidden under the bed for his own personal protection. "Guards!" He shouted, and ran in to the front chamber just in time to see Armitage's legs being dragged out the balcony doors as he made quiet choking sounds.

He ran after, but couldn't quite reach out as an assassin in a mask swept Armitage off the balcony and right on to a speeder. He went full speed in to the night, and Ben held up his blaster to shoot. But the thought that he might hit Armitage made his finger hover over the trigger for a second too long.

"Damn it," he cursed, and turned just in time to see two guards barge in to his room. "Somebody took him! Somebody took my slave!" He stormed past them, only to snatch up his robe from the bedroom before he pulled on an easy pair of boots.

"Your highness, we highly recommend against-"

"What are you standing around for?! Follow his tracker!" Immediately the guards ran out of the room, and Ben was quickly behind them as he shouldered the blaster strap. They walked through his grand castle and down to the ground floor, where there was a hangar of speeders. They were tidily placed in a line, and each was hooked up to a refueling station. Ben pulled off the refueling tube and mounted the first one, and the repulsorlift came to life as the speeder rose up off the ground.

Two more guards joined them, and they each started their own speeders. The hangar door was slow to open, but the second there was enough space to fit through, Ben zoomed off in to the darkness.

He booted up the holoscreen on the dash of the speeder, and put in Armitage's tracking code. It took a few seconds of flying off blindly in to the night, with only the front lights of the speeder to help him avoid any obstacles, before he knew to veer slightly to the left.

They promptly dropped off a cliff, but it was a maneuver Ben was familiar with. He hit the throttle, and sped up as the assassin flew towards civilization. Ben knew it'd be easier to lose the assassin and Armitage in a big city that was just downhill of his castle, so Ben pushed the speeder and himself to the limit as he gave chase.

The lights of the city seemed to grow closer at an impossible rate, and soon Ben had to dodge hovercars as he got the assassin in his sights. His speeder looked to be a T-85, which was a common model and easy to lose track of. But he kept glancing at the screen on the dash to make sure he was tracking the right one.

One of his guards caught up, and Ben glanced over as he motioned to the Emperor. He held a blaster that was booted up and ready, and Ben gave him a curt nod. If he shot Armitage, Ben would have him executed. But at this speed, there was no stopping until somebody's speeder ran out of charge. So he gave the order, and the guard locked the steering column as he aimed with both hands.

He fired twice though he missed both times, before the assassin made a sharp left. The guard fell back, and another came up to take a turn. Ben realized that he didn't actually know the names of many of his guards. He glanced over, but couldn't see any identifying markers as the second guard aimed. Ben realized that when this was over, he'd pay more attention to the men who guarded his life, and maybe make a few other changes too.

The guard took the shot, and immediately the assassins speeder began to spin out of control as it's driver slumped over. It slowed in speed as it began to fall out of the sky, and Ben raced over to it.

Immediately Armitage sprung free from his captor, the speeder and the assassins body falling faster than him. His screams of terror as he fell through the air made Ben reach out, and he caught Armitage mid flight as he fell in a tangled web of the extravagant layers of nightgown that he wore.

He landed hard, and with a quiet "oof," before he seemed to realize what had happened. Perhaps he recognized the pattern of Ben's robes as they sped off towards home, or perhaps it was the scent of sleep that still lingered on him. But somehow Armitage recognized Ben without looking up, and his arms were immediately wrapped tight around Ben's shoulders.

Armitage shook like a leaf in his arms as he began to openly sob, so Ben flew a bit slower so as to not overwhelm the slave in his arms. But he didn't stop. He'd never stop, not until they were back home, and Armitage was tucked safely in bed, with a guard in the other room to keep watch. He wouldn't let Armitage go until he was sure the slave was safe, though he knew the safest place for Armitage right now was pressed against his chest, as the little slave shook violently at almost being captured.

* * *

It had happened to quickly. One moment, Armitage was asleep, and the next he was being strangled by a thick line of rope around his throat, and dragged out of the bed. He'd scuffled with the guy briefly, but Armitage was no match for the assassin. Armitage was weak, predictably so, and he was usually able to use that to his advantage in this line of work.

But he knew he was in trouble when the assassin had dragged him out to the balcony, and Ben had come running shortly, but not quick enough, after him.

The guy was smaller than he'd think an assassin would be. But he had an iron grip on Armitage as they zipped through the cold and the darkness. Armitage was sure they were going to hit something as they sped through the night without any semblance of lights except the screen on the dashboard.

Unwillingly, Armitage had clung to the guy. It was all he could do to keep from falling off, certain that a fall at this speed would result in a severe injury. But that hadn't meant he wanted to be in the guy's lap, because he knew what would happen next. Or at least, he could guess.

He was Emperor Ren's personal slave, and everybody would know what he was used for. Because of that, Armitage would most likely be chained up and held for ransom. Whether the Emperor would pay was up for speculation, but the money wouldn't really matter. If he couldn't pay more than the Hutts would for somebody of Armitage's stature, then he'd be lost forever, to be used as a toy and entertainment in one of the galaxy's most evil mob's cantinas. If Ben didn't pay the ransom, Armitage would never again get to be around such finery that he'd become accustomed to.

Armitage had closed his eyes tight for the majority of the ride, and he wasn't even aware that they were being trailed until two bolts flew right past his head. He'd almost fallen off as the assassin made a sharp turn, and staring down in to the black abyss of empty space from being so high up made him start to cry out of sheer terror.

He thought he was a goner, especially when the next second, the assassin was crushing him with his weight. Armitage had managed to get himself free of the limp body, but there was nothing left to do except free fall and wait for his death. He'd never been so happy to be on a speeder until Ben had caught him, and it was something he was naturally averse to since they went so fast. He could remember openly sobbing in to the Emperors robe, which he recognized at once, though the trip home had been a blur.

And once home, he hadn't strayed more than a foot from the emperor while awake, which meant Ben had quickly settled him down in to bed, before he went to talk to the guards. The entire time Ben was away, until he came back to bed, Armitage stared with wide eyes as he listened to Ben discuss things with the guards. He was terrified, and just wanted to be held, and perform the duties he so enjoyed.

Eventually Ben came back to bed with his soft words and gentle touch, and Armitage shook in his arms until he fell asleep some time near morning. If Ben slept at all, Armitage wasn't even sure.


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner was absolutely perfect. Nine courses, each one on a little plate with a little garnish, and five different spoons to use. Armitage ate as slightly as he ever did, and sipped delicately from a crystal glass that didn't drop below half full. The two of them ate on an open, but covered patio with minimal servants standing by. Ben could tell by the way that Armitage smiled more and more that this had been a good idea. After nearly losing Armitage, a private dinner for two was just what they both needed.

As Armitage put down the final fork of the whisked cream topped with pear shavings, he put a hand on his stomach like he was full. "This was very delicious, Your Highness," he confessed, dressed in a soft cream colored gown that showed off his shoulders.

"Agreed, I'll have to send down a compliment to the chef," Ben said as he folded his napkin in half. This evening was, in a word, perfect. There was perfect food, perfect weather, and of course, perfect company. But as they reached their final course, the subject of why Ben had set this up lingered in the air.

"You were right, highness," Armitage said, and diverted his eyes to the table.

"Oh?" Ben asked, and washed down the last bit of cream with a sip of his drink.

"I do go someplace else, sometimes. I try not to, but its difficult, given my past."

"Wherever you go, I'm curious." Ben straightened up though, which drew Armitage's gaze up to his. "I want to know everything about you."

With a sigh, Armitage began his story, quietly chronicling a life of some ups, but mostly downs.

"My father was always ashamed of me, and I was aware from an early age that I was a disappointment. I wasn't like the other boys in my village; I was too thin, too quiet, too shy. I wasn't a son befitting a brilliant military mind such as Brendol's. The boys my age used to tease me and throw things at me. I was always dirty, no matter how much I bathed. Then one day, some men came to our village. They were looking for boys of my age to go to Arkanis, I'm sure you're familiar."

"You're Arkanis trained?" Ben asked in incredulity.

"I was, yes," Armitage said as his eyes seemed to clear for a moment. Arkanis was one of the most prestigious training schools for courtesans of all walks of life. People would bribe millions of credits to get their sons in, but they only took a very select number of boys per year to train.

"They were directed to my fathers house, and the last thing I remember as they dragged me out of my childhood home was when he told me I might finally make something of myself. He didn't even wait till I was out of sight before he'd closed the door, and went on with life. Looking back on it, I should have been grateful that those men took me away. In retrospect, my upbringing was horrid."

"But at Arkanis," Armitage said as his eyes lit up. "Things were wonderful there. All the things I'd been told were faults, and were wrong, were suddenly prized, and things to be strengthened and fostered. I'd always enjoyed the softer things; embroidery on a napkin, being indoors where it was quiet instead out in a ruckus. I enjoyed reading, and writing, and all sorts of music."

His face saddened though as he continued his tale. "I had received several bids by the day I got a letter about my father. They were mostly for high level merchants, or local politicians. I was holding out for a senator, but I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd be sold to an Emperor."

"One day I received a letter though. My father had never written me, but somebody had taken the time to inform me that he was very ill. I packed up to go back home for a few days, to say my goodbye's and perhaps organize the last affairs of my fathers life."

"But when I got there, it was absolute... squalor," he spat the last word, and looked like he was disgusted with the memory of it. "The house was packed with, I don't know, trinkets of all kinds. There was only one working heater, and my father was sleeping on a filthy mattress with barely even a sheet over himself. He was very, very ill."

"So I did what I could to make him comfortable. I bought him a pillow with what small credits I had from my potential Gentlemen, and a new blanket to keep him warm. I also tried to get the information organized for his pension, since the military stopped paying a few months back. Word must have gotten around that I was there, I mean how could it not. An unguarded, Arkanis trained courtesan living with a dying man was like a flashing billboard for smugglers."

Armitage gulped, and he put a hand up to his mouth as he tried to quell tears. Ben wanted to go comfort him, but he was also enthralled with the story. He never would have guessed such a tale from the slave who shared his bed, but it all made sense now as to why he acted the way he did. Not only was Armitage private with his thoughts, but his skills were much sharper than somebody who hadn't been professionally trained. It also made sense about how Mitaka had purchased someone trained on Arkanis now; he'd been sold by smugglers, not the academy.

"That night, after the ball, when you tore my dress. It wasn't that you tore my dress, highness, it belongs to you after all. But it reminded me of what they did," he paused. "Not to say I was a virgin by any means. It's part of my training to know how to service a Gentleman in a variety of ways. But the things they did, the amount of  _force_  they used. I'd never felt so degraded."

Armitage looked down at his hands, and Ben got up to go to him. "Please," Armitage spoke up, and he looked up as he sniffled back tears. "Highness, I'd like to finish first."

Ben nodded, and despite being given a command by his inferior, he sat back down. His heart broke for Armitage, especially with how factually he was able to share what had happened to him.

"I was sold, as you know, to a mysterious buyer. And for the first time in a long time, I felt relief, because my pain was over. I knew that whatever happened, and whomever I went to, it would be many times better than living with those smugglers. I would  _never_  have thought that I'd been sold to the great Emperor Benjamin Solo until I saw your castle rising in the distance."

"You knew of me beforehand?" Ben quirked a brow. And with that, returned Armitage's smile, though subdued as it was.

"As I mentioned before, at Arkanis, our strengths were fostered. Given my fathers military career, I knew quite a few things about military strategy and weaponry. I studied your rise to the throne, as far back as anybody knows, of course. Your maneuvering of troops during the Exit of Hurst was masterful. The Hurst would have lost the war had you not provided support."

Ben sat back, stunned. He hadn't thought about that war in ages; after all, it had happened at the beginning of his reign. He'd been on the throne for almost a decade now, and it seemed like it happened a lifetime ago. The last thing he expected was for the slave who shared his bed to know of that battle. Most people exalted him for the big military wins, not some squabble between tribes that he'd helped settle with a few extra weapons.

"I was honored when I was shown to your room, because it was beyond my wildest dreams, and I don't mean to take any of what you've provide me for granted. But when I go far away, when I seem not to be quite present, I think of my father. I don't even know if he's still alive, though I assume not. I get sad because... I didn't get to thank him."

"He was terrible to me as a child, that's true. But without him sending me away to Arkanis, none of this would have been possible. I wouldn't have known there was a place for people like me. I would have been trapped in that home, and married off to some woman who would bear me too many children. That's a future I dreaded my entire life, and I jut wish I could thank him for sending me away. It was, perhaps, the most selfless thing he's ever done for me."

Done with his story, a silent tear rolled down Armitage's cheek finally, which prompted Ben to get up. He rose from the seat and went to Armitage, and in an extraordinary move unfit for an Emperor, Ben got down on one knee next to Armitage, and took both of his hands in his own.

"You mean more to me than anybody I've ever met, except perhaps my mother." At that, Armitage let out a weak laugh, and he was glad Armitage wasn't too upset at having just relived the past. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to figure out what happened to your father."

"You don't have to, Your Highness. You've already done so much for me," he said as he squeezed Ben's gloved hands gently. But something in his eyes told Ben that he didn't that.

* * *

Armitage disappeared again, but this time Ben knew why. He watched from the other side of the cabin as Armitage's eyes glazed over while he gazed out the window. Ben tried to refocus as he strategized with one of his advisers through their long trip to an off world planet.

When they landed, Armitage was right at Ben's side as usual. However, while most of the caravan went off to the left, to board a very large luxury speeder, Ben pulled Armitage by the arm to a much smaller, four-seat speeder. It was no less grand, but it still made Armitage look back at the contingent like he longed to be with them, before he looked at Ben who held his arm a bit too tight.

Without a word, they sat down in the back two seats of the speeder, while two guards took up the front seats. Then they drove off at a quick pace towards a destination that was known only to Ben and the driver.

Next to him, Ben could see that Armitage was afraid. The way he squeezed his hands together, an innocuous move that somebody not so attuned to him wouldn't pick up. But Ben noticed it, though he said nothing.

They zoomed quickly towards the edge of the town they'd arrived in, and soon they were greeted by more widely spread out houses. It wasn't until they passed a sign written in an alien language that Armitage sat up a bit straighter in recognition of it.

He stared ahead, and now it was Ben's turn to watch him. He looked alarmed, eyes wide in recognition of the homes and architecture that they sped past. Finally, though after a short ride, they arrived at the very entrance of a graveyard, and Armitage stood up, alerted.

They exited the speeder, and Armitage immediately fell to the ground. He reached up with shaking hands to clutch on to one of Ben's own, and Ben could see that there were tears in his eyes.

"Your Highness, if I've done anything to offend or upset you, please let me apologize-"

"Rise, immediately. You've done nothing wrong," he said as he used both hands to lift Armitage back up to his feet.

"If you've brought me back to my home planet to bury me, I beg you to give me another chance," he pleaded.

"It's not that, I promise you. Come here," Ben said and puled Armitage in to his arms. Armitage let out a squeak of a sob as he collapsed into the Emperor's arms, obviously not quite understanding what was about to happen.

"Will you walk with me, while we dry your tears? Then, I will explain everything," Ben asked.

Armitage nodded his head rapidly, though he looked more afraid than Ben had ever seen him. So he draped an arm around Armitage's waist and they walked in through the tall, wire fence, and Armitage grew quiet as he wiped his tears.

As they meandered, Ben kept his pace slow, and he had a vague memory of where the plot had been on the map. They walked in silence while the two guards following after, and Armitage's head was bowed as they walked. There would be time for tears soon.

Finally they got to the back of the graveyard, where it was mostly pauper's graves, though there were also a few sparse headstones. They stopped at one that looked new, and Ben let go of Armitage's waist.

"Do you remember the story you told me of your past?" Ben asked to initiate a conversation.

Armitage turned to look at the Emperor, not in the least bit interested in their morbid setting as he placed his hands in Ben's that were outstretched. "Yes, Your Highness."

"Well, I was able to track down the information you provided me. I'm sorry, Armitage," Ben said, and it made the slaves vision clear a bit as his face softening at recognition of how intimate it was for the Emperor to use his first name.

"Your father, he did indeed pass. Though he did not suffer long without you." Then Ben turned and motioned to the flat, inlaid headstone. "I thought you would appreciate something for him, even something simple. So I had this stone arranged, that way he would have a marking, even in death."

Armitage stared down at the stone, and Ben watched as he read his fathers name, "BRENDOL ARMITAGE HUX" with a date of birth and death. There was no other inscription, and Ben hoped it was better that way.

Taking his hands from Ben's, Armitage turned and fell to his knees, as his hands landed in the grass while he stared down at the description. He was silent for several seconds before he began to openly weep, tears falling down his chin and on to the cold stone that was almost as rigid as his father.

Ben frowned, and had hoped this would be a good gift. Maybe it would be, in time. But he supposed that learning about his fathers death, and the gravestone that Ben had provided for it, might leave the slave overwhelmed. So Ben stepped back and went to his guards, to give Armitage time to weep, and cry.

It went on, his head bowing as he collapsed over the stone and touched his forehead to it, crying over the inlaid inscriptions quietly. Ben watched with some remorse as Armitage fell apart, though he'd decided to give the slave as much time as he needed. Gratefully, the two guards remained silent as they waited, honoring the slave, and Brendol, in their own appropriate way.

When Armitage finally rose, he'd cried for longer than was perhaps deemed necessary. But as he turned back to Ben, his eyes were red and puffy, though he looked more settled. His gait was slow as he went back to the Emperor, and immediately he snuggled up in to Ben's arms.

Ben soothed him, and wrapped both arms steadily around him. Then he kissed Armitage's forehead, and whispered, "I'd hoped the stone was a fine addition. And that you'd like to know where your father lies, for the future."

"It's perfect, Benjamin," he muttered the last word barely above a whisper, and clung to the Emperor. Ben noted that his breaths were calm and slow, like he'd gotten out all the pent up emotion he held.

"I'm glad you think so," Ben whispered, and kissed the top of Armitage's head this time.

"I do. Thank you so much," he said and Ben squeezed Armitage once. Then he let go, and smiled admiringly down at Armitage before they turned, and walked back to the guards.

They left the cemetery, arm in arm as Armitage leaned on Ben for support. It was clear now that their bond was strengthened, and Ben was eager to get Armitage back to the party that awaited them.


End file.
